Accused Australian ISIS fighter Neil Prakash faces six terror charges
>
Aussie accused of fighting with ISIS and appearing in various propaganda videos is charged with six counts of terrorism after being deported from Turkey
- Accused ISIS fighter Neil Prakash was airlifted under heavy police guard out of Darwin
- He is now in custody in Melbourne and will face terrorism charges there.
- The 31-year-old could face life in prison for allegedly fighting alongside ISIS from 2014 to 2016
- Turkey deports Prakash, Australia’s most wanted terror suspect
Defendant Australian jihadist Neil Prakash faces six counts of terrorism and could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
The 31-year-old man was extradited from Darwin to Melbourne under heavy police surveillance on Sunday.
Prakash, once considered the country’s most wanted terrorist, will face a Melbourne court after being deported from Turkey last week.
Prakash is presumed killed in a US airstrike in 2016, but was later discovered in Turkey, where he was arrested.
The charges include engaging in hostile activities in a foreign state, being a member of a terrorist organization and advocating terrorism.
Engaging in hostile activities in a foreign state and a separate charge of engaging in hostile activities in a foreign country each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Sandra Booth said the agency had been working “tirelessly” to bring Prakash to justice.
“AFP and our partners are committed to keeping Australians safe,” Asst Comm Booth said.
Neil Prakash (centre of photo) was flown from Darwin to Melbourne to face terrorism charges.
Prakash (center of photo) faces a series of charges for his alleged involvement with the Islamic jihadist group Isis from 2014 to 2016.
Prakash, a Melbourne-born former rapper, is alleged to have joined and supported Islamic State from 2014 to 2016.
He appeared in a Darwin court on Friday as part of extradition arrangements to take him to Melbourne.
There he appeared via video link and remained silent and did not answer questions as he sat dressed in a white T-shirt.
Prakash was flown to the Northern Territory on a chartered flight on Friday morning after being jailed in Turkey.
Two of the charges being brought against Prakash (in the center of the photo) carry possible life sentences
In 2016, he was mistakenly thought to have been killed in a US military attack on the Iraqi city of Mosul.
However, later that year, the Australian authorities confirmed that he was still alive and had been arrested in Turkey.
Former Home Secretary Peter Dutton revoked Prakash’s citizenship in 2018 for his alleged involvement with Islamic State and because he was from Fiji.